In part because of my work here at Jalopnik and in part because I just love driving, I find myself going on lots of lengthy road trips. I've just arrived home from a massive 16,000-mile road trip over the last two months. And that kind of mileage requires some serious snacking along the way.
๐ The Core Development
Snacks on the road are extremely helpful to keep your mind active, get the nutrition and energy you need, and continue making good time. Go to your average truck stop or gas station, fill up on fuel, shop for a few non-fuel products , and you'll also see potentially hundreds of different food options for shoving into your gaping maw while controlling a multi-ton mechanical device and looking at your phone . Some of those food options are better than others , though, and I'm going to make the definitive worst and best lists for your next road trip.
Obviously, there are a few criteria we have to keep in mind that make a certain snack good for a road trip. The number one consideration is how easy or difficult it is to handle. You want something you can unwrap, hold, and bite with one hand so you always maintain contact with the steering wheel. Tacos are a bad idea, so they're not even in the conversation. You want something calorie-dense, not too sweet so as to avoid a sugar crash, and reasonably healthy because driving is a sedentary activity and you won't be getting exercise on a long road trip.
๐ Background & Sector Context
My unequivocal favorite thing to eat on a road trip is gummy worms, because they're delicious and don't generally cause a mess, but they're not really a great choice here because they're packed with sugar. I'm putting gummy worms as kind of the baseline snack. Let's look at the polar ends of the snack debate.
This is on the list mostly because if you give them to a child, they will invariably end up ground into the car's upholstery. Especially the cheese-filled sandwich crackers. Chips are common, but they're so greasy and flavor dust gets everywhere. These are fine for most adults, but there are way better snacks.
๐ Industry & Real-World Impact
What is this, a Five Guys Burgers and Fries? You want to deal with cracking and shelling peanuts, a task that typically requires both hands, while you're ostensibly focused on keeping your car on the road? Peanuts are fine enough, I suppose, if they're pre-shelled, but it's still kind of a boring snack.
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๐ฎ Strategic Outlook & What Lies Ahead
Spoon and cup? No. Yogurt in a tube? Even worse. Most dairy-based snacks should be immediately disregarded from any road trip. There are so many ways that yogurt can go poorly, it shouldn't even enter the conversation. Imagine dropping some into the thick pile carpet of your vintage Rolls-Royce. Ew.
Certain fruits get a pass, like apples, pre-separated orange slices in a plastic baggie, and bananas. The berries and grapes, however, are a bad idea. First of all, you'll drop at least a few berries, and they'll hide under your seat and rot. Secondly, you're going to get blueberry stains on your fingers, clothes, and nice seats. Get it together.
